Note: McCreery will also perform at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Spotlight 29 Casino in Coachella.

Scotty McCreery was less than five months shy of his 18th birthday on May 25, 2011, when he was crowned the Season 10 winner on “American Idol.” That singular moment catapulted him into the world of country music.

“I know it hasn’t been that long ago,” McCreery said last week while preparing for a concert in Pittsburgh, “but I honestly have a hard time remembering much of that moment. It was a strange situation with Lauren (Alaina) standing there and finishing second with the confetti flying all over the place. I don’t recall what was said or what I did. Needless to say it was an awkward moment. But that moment changed everything.”

He went from a student’s desk in the junior class at Garner Magnet High in North Carolina to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. The transition was one thing, but was the world of country music what he expected?

“I’ve heard that at rap and hip-hop concerts and rock concerts they have guards around the stage and the bands leave in a hurry,” McCreery said. “But country music isn’t like that at all. The singers go out and talk to the fans afterward; everyone is friendly to each other. If you have an impression of it (country music) from the outside, then let me tell you it’s exactly the same way on the inside.”

McCreery, who still hasn’t reached his 20th birthday, will perform in Southern California for the second time in less than a year (he was at the San Diego County Fair last summer) today at the Temecula Balloon & Wine Festival. He will follow that with an appearance Saturday at the Spotlight 29 Casino in Coachella.

“I had a great time last summer at the Del Mar concert. I love the San Diego area. Can’t wait to get back out there,” he said.

He launched his “Weekend Roadtrip Tour” in February and worked it around his class time as a freshman at North Carolina State, where he is majoring in communications with a focus on information media.

While most youthful athletes/celebrities choose to delay their education until their careers are over, McCreery went in the opposite direction.

“Education has always been important in our family,” he said. “I just finished my first year at N.C. State. We were able to work the classroom stuff around touring.”

Of course, first he had to finish high school after “Idol,” which he did. But what he didn’t do was get to play that final season with his high school baseball team.

“Yes, I missed playing, but I couldn’t do both being on ‘Idol’ then,” he said. “I was a pitcher. In high school I could throw in the high 80s, but I don’t think I was going to make it at the college level.” In his final high school game he struck out nine batters in a complete-game shutout.